Scars: Surviving a Stabbing

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BBC Three HD

BBC Three

Aodh Breathnach

Wendie Ottewill

Lucy Hillman

Holly Godfrey

Documentaries

Factual: Real Life Stories

BBC Three - Scars: Surviving a Stabbing

Film-maker Aodh Breathnach explores the psychological impact of being stabbed.

Film-maker Aodh Breathnach explores the psychological impact of people being stabbed while reflecting on his own experience of being attacked with a knife eight years ago.

Knife crime in the UK is at the highest level ever recorded. We hear about the lives that are tragically lost, but what happens to the thousands who are stabbed and survive every year?

Eight years ago, film-maker Aodh Breathnach was stabbed five times on a night out. Despite noticing an impact on his mental health, he hardly spoke about it afterwards. Still carrying hurt, anger and fear eight years later, Aodh sets out to meet other people who have been stabbed and learn how they are coping with their physical and emotional scars.

There are lots of people bragging about stabbing people online, but hardly anyone is speaking about being stabbed. Why is it so hard to talk about? And what happens to men when they bottle up their hurt? 

Aodh goes to Birmingham to meet Kieran, who unlike Aodh has spoken publicly about being stabbed, becoming a fitness influencer in the process. He also heads to Gloucester to meet Jasper, who is trying to come to terms with his stabbing by collecting and disposing of weapons in his community.

Speaking about his experience for the first time, Aodh notices symptoms that he has not felt since shortly after he was stabbed returning. He speaks to a psychologist to try to understand how he is feeling. Wondering if his hurt comes from a sense of injustice, Aodh heads to Kent to meet Kurtis, who is still recovering physically from a stabbing and has seen his attacker convicted. 

Learning what has helped others, Aodh starts to explore different ways of coming to terms with his stabbing. Might therapy be the answer? Or could contacting his perpetrator help him to let go of the hurt that he carries?

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